THE CURE Schallplatten & CDs

Review: This live album captures the raw energy and emotional depth of a legendary goth band's performance, showcasing their latest work in its full, unfiltered glory to an intimate crowd (albeit with a massive global streaming audience). Debuting the entire new album for the first time to an eager London crowd, the band delivers a powerful, immersive experience. Tracks like 'Alone' and 'End Song' stand out as some of the most hauntingly beautiful and intense pieces in the band's catalogue, with the live setting amplifying their emotional weight. The band's iconic sound, a blend of atmospheric melancholy and brooding intensity, resonates deeply, drawing the audience into every note and lyric. The live rendition of these songs adds a new layer, with the crowd's energy and the band's commanding performance elevating the material. Since its release, the accompanying live album has been met with widespread acclaim, charting in the top five across numerous countries, proving that the band's impact remains as potent as ever.

Review: After a 16-year hiatus since 4:13 Dream, The Cure returns with the anticipated Songs Of A Lost World. The first single, 'Alone', marks a powerful resurgence for the band. Unlike the somewhat unfocused production of their last album, 'Alone' brings back the bold, expansive sound fans have longed for. It's a stunning track, filled with emotional depth and lush instrumentation, blending synth strings with chiming guitars. Robert Smith's voice remains as poignant and expressive as ever, defying time with its raw, emotive power. The song feels like both a return to form and a bittersweet farewell, hinting that this may be the band's swansong, while the five album songs trailed live in recent years, as swansongs go this is a hugely impressive one.

Review: Songs Of A Lost World is Robert Smith and co's first studio record since 2008. In the lead-up to the release, the band dropped cryptic social media hints, mailed postcards revealing the album's title and release date, and even placed a poster at the pub where they played their first show in Crawley. Recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales, this album is the band's 14th, featuring the core lineup of Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Jason Cooper, Roger O'Donnell, and Reeves Gabrels. Smith, together with producer Paul Corkett, oversaw the arrangements, while long-time collaborator Andy Vella designed the album's artwork, which showcases Janez Pirnat's 1975 sculpture Bagatelle. Smith has stressed that identifying the opening and closing songs is crucial for the album's development. A record that digs deep into darker, more personal themes, echoing the intensity of their earlier work, the release also includes two live tracks, 'And Nothing Is Forever' and 'I Can Never Say Goodbye', from their Shows Of A Lost World tour.